The Man in the Dark Hat
by the lurker
Summary: While Matt is out of town, Kitty is attacked by a stranger.


GUNSMOKE  
"The Man in the Dark Hat"  
  
A small grin lit his lips as he pressed the cool glass to them, taking a sip of his beer. Even while sharing a story wth a group of card-playing cowboys from across the room, she captivated his attention. Sensing his eyes on her, she looked over at him and smiled. She winked at him, said a few more words to the men at the poker table, and worked her way across the room to sit next to him.  
  
"Those boys from up North?"  
  
She nodded, "Most of them are trying to get on a cattle drive down to Texas so they can make some money, and then work their way back up here again."  
  
Matt took another sip of his beer, "Hard work, being a cowboy...."  
  
She grinned at him, "Harder work being a U.S. Marshal."  
  
He laughed, "Sometimes." His eyes caught hers, "But not right at this moment."  
  
A red eyebrow arched at Dillon, but Kitty said nothing, allowing only a small smile to curl her lips. Matt took one last gulp of beer, and stood, smiling down at her.  
  
"Well, I'd better make my rounds....see you later?"  
  
"I think that's a date, cowboy."  
  
Kitty watched Dillon work his way through the crowd and then exit out the saloon doors. A bigger man she had never seen, and a more committed lawman she had never known. She stood, taking Matt's empty beer mug with her. As she passed a table on her way to the bar, a rough-looking man in a dark hat reached out a hand to stop her.   
  
He smiled at her, "Join me for a drink, Red?"  
  
She smiled back at him, "Thanks, but I have some work I need to do."  
  
His smile disappeared and his hand clamped down harder on her arm, "I ain't inclined to take no for an answer."  
  
Kitty jerked her arm away from him, "Well that's too bad, because 'no' is the only answer you're going to get."  
  
He stood, pulling her into him, leaning close, "I been watchin' you tonight....there ain't no other woman like you, and I intend to have you."  
  
She tried to push away, but he was too large and strong for her to have any effect, "Let go of me!"  
  
Sam quickly walked over to them, "I believe the lady asked you to let go."  
  
"This ain't no business of yours, barkeep..."  
  
Sam took a menacing step forward, "You've made it my business, and I think it's time for you to leave."  
  
The man pushed Kitty away from him, and before she could say a word, he punched Sam in the face. Not small in stature himself, Sam came back quickly, twisting the man's gun arm behind his back, smashing his head into the table.  
  
"Now that I have your attention......as I mentioned before, it's time for you to leave."  
  
Sam shoved the man toward the door, letting go only at the threshold. The man turned to face both the bartender and Kitty. His hand resting on his colt.  
  
"You're lucky you ain't armed, barkeep."  
  
"I can remedy that--"  
  
Kitty pushed her way in front of the bartender, "--Sam.....that's enough."  
  
He looked at her before finally acquiescing, "Yes ma'am."  
  
The man in the dark hat turned his small eyes onto Kitty Russell.  
  
"Well now, you do wear the pants 'round here, don'tcha Red....."  
  
Sam started to speak again, but Kitty's hand on his arm stopped him. She looked at the man in the dark hat once more.  
  
"I believe you were asked to leave."  
  
He grinned at her, "You have a lot to learn about showin' hospitality, Red."  
  
Kitty glared at him, "When you own an establishment, it gives you the prerogative of offering hospitality, or not. Now get out, and don't come back."  
  
"I'll get out, but I ain't makin' no promises about not comin' back."  
  
The man smiled and then stepped out the door, disappearing down the street. Kitty turned toward Sam, anger lighting up her eyes.  
  
"What did you think you were doing?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss Kitty, but I'm tired of his kind. They come in here thinking that they're entitled to do whatever they want, to whomever they want; I'm tired of it. And I'm surely not going to just stand by and allow a man to treat you like that. I'm surely not."  
  
Kitty's eyes softened, "I know, Sam. I just don't want to see you hurt is all....."  
  
He looked down at the floor, his voice growing soft, "Yes ma'am."  
  
She pat his arm, "I think we could both use a whiskey Sam, and I'm buyin'...."  
  
He smiled at her as they walked back toward the bar, "Yes ma'am."

The man in the dark hat leaned against the building as he took another drag on his cigar. He watched the last of the customers leave the Long Branch, including the marshal. He had heard that Kitty Russell was Matt Dillon's woman, and that made the idea of taking her all the more sweet. He observed the large man walk across the street and disappear into the jailhouse. He waited for a long time, savoring his cigar slowly, until he was certain that the good citizens of Dodge were fast asleep.   
  
The light in the upstairs window of the Long Branch had long been extinguished by the time he made his move, and Kitty Russell, who had been sound asleep when the man entered her room, never had a chance to fight back.

Festus walked down Front Street toward the Long Branch, as he did many mornings, looking forward to his first free cup of coffee of the day. He entered the saloon, spotting Sam behind the bar, but there was no sign of Kitty.  
  
"Mornin' Sam...."  
  
"Morning Festus."  
  
The two men stared at each other, Sam barely able to keep a grin from his lips. Haggen cleared his throat, and looked around, as though he hadn't noticed before that Kitty wasn't there.  
  
"Miss Kitty in her office this mornin' is she?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
Festus licked his lips and looked at the floor before looking back into the unyielding eyes before him.  
  
"Go to the bank did she?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"General Store?"  
  
Sam shook his head, a grin beginning to pull at the sides of his mouth, the frustration on Haggen's face becoming apparent.  
  
"Oh thunder and tarnation, Sam, are ya gonna make me stand here a-playin' twenty questions with ya all mornin' or are ya gonna tell me where she done went?"  
  
"Miss Kitty's not down yet this morning, and I thought it best to let her sleep....although it is gettin' a little late."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Sam smiled, poured a cup of coffee for Festus, and headed toward the stairs.  
  
"Much obliged to ya, Sam." Oblivious to the fact that Sam was not paying attention, Haggen began to ramble, "Thar ain't nothin' better than a good, strong cup o' coffee in the mornin' Sam, no sir. I'll tell ya though, ain't nobody never learned to make a better cup than my little cousin Pearlie. Yes sir, I reckon she'll take the secret to her grave though, she ain't never--"  
  
"--Festus!"  
  
The alarm in Sam's voice brought Haggen's meanderings to an abrupt halt, and he was quickly in motion up the staircase toward Miss Kitty's room. For a long moment, Festus stood just behind Sam in the doorway, his mind refusing to believe what his eyes were seeing. Kitty's room was in shambles. Broken glass lay about, pictures were torn from the wall, furniture overturned; and in the corner, huddled against the wall was Kitty Russell. Haggen recovered and moved past Sam toward her.  
  
"Miss Kitty? Oh Miss Kitty...."  
  
He bent down to take her in his arms, but she screamed, pushing him away as though he might kill her. Festus knelt down near her, and spoke in sweet tones.  
  
"Miss Kitty, it's Festus. Now you know I ain't gonna hurt you."  
  
He tried to reach for her once more, and again was rewarded with another cry of fear. His heart skipped a beat, as he realized what must have happened to her. He swallowed hard, trying to stay calm.  
  
"All right, it's all right now. I won't come no closer." He looked back at the bartender, who was frozen in horror, "Sam, go git Doc. And Sam, don't say nothin' to nobody."  
  
Sam nodded, quickly leaving to fetch Doc. Festus looked at the bruises on Kitty's face, the blood spattered on her shredded nightgown, and he felt an overwhelming anger beginning to rise within him. He pulled the blanket from the bed, and moved to cover her, but she shoved him away.  
  
"Don't touch me!"  
  
Tears clouded Haggen's eyes as he held the blanket out toward her, "Miss Kitty, just take this to cover yerself. I swar I won't come no closer...."  
  
Ignoring him, she turned her face toward the wall, numbness becoming her only ally. Festus wanted to reach out to her, to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but he remained quietly kneeling a few feet away. He heard the footsteps coming up the stairs, and a moment later Doc entered the room, followed by Sam.  
  
"Oh dear God...."  
  
Doc started toward her, but Festus stood and grabbed ahold of him.  
  
"What in tarnation do you think you're doing? Let go of me!"  
  
"Doc, she don't seem to recognize none of us, and she's just plumb terrified if ya git to close. I don't think you should move so fast--"  
  
"--You just get out of my way and let me handle this...."  
  
"Doc....." Festus swallowed hard, "Doc, I think more than a beatin' was did to her........"  
  
Doc looked into the amber eyes of the deputy, and his brows furrowed as the meaning sunk in. He gently pulled out of Haggen's grip, and moved cautiously toward his patient. He knelt next to her and reached for her arm. Her scream of terror seemed almost primeval, and it jolted him to his core. He recoiled back, staring at her for a moment, as though she were a wild animal poised to strike in self-defense. He tried to regain his composure by taking a deep breath, and then he spoke with the most gentle tone Festus had ever heard from him.  
  
"Kitty, it's Doc. I'm here to help you." He waited for her to look at him, but she wouldn't. "Do you know who I am, Kitty? Hmm? Do you know me?" She continued to stare at the wall, seeming not to hear Adams. "Honey, I can't help you unless I can examine you. Now, I'm going to move real slow, but I'm going to start by looking at that arm that's bleedin'....."  
  
Doc gently reached for her arm again, and this time, she violently struck out at him. Adams dodged the first blow, but her next attempt connected painfully with his jaw. He backed away slightly, rubbing his chin. Festus moved forward to help him, which only added to Kitty's panic. Doc stood, hastily pushing Haggen away. Taking the deputy by the arm, Adams moved toward Sam, speaking in low tones.  
  
"I think it'd be better if the two of you went downstairs. She's terrified. Absolutely terrified."  
  
Festus looked at the bruise forming on Doc's face, "Can ya handle her like this, Doc?"  
  
"Don't you worry about it. Now go on...."  
  
Sam's tone was colored with concern, "Just yell if you need something, Doc."  
  
"I will, Sam." Festus lingered for a moment, and Doc pat his arm, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."  
  
"I knowed you will, Doc, and I'll see you directly when I git back."  
  
"Get back?"  
  
"I'm gonna get on ol' Ruth and try and catch Matthew. He left for Hayes this mornin', and if'n I hurry--"  
  
"--Festus, I don't think that's a good idea...."  
  
"But Doc, we gotta tell him--"  
  
"--Now you listen to me. You know how you're feelin' inside? Like you wanna kill the man who did this?"  
  
Festus nodded, "With my bare hands, Doc."  
  
"And I'm sure Sam feels no different. Now can you imagine how Matt'll feel?"  
  
Festus looked at the floor, then slowly back at Doc, "I hadn't thought on it that way."  
  
"Right now, Kitty's in no condition to tell us who did it, nor anything else about it. And if he sees her like this.....well, Festus, I'm afraid of what he might do. "  
  
"I reckon you're right."  
  
"I think so. Wait until this afternoon, then send a telegraph up to Hayes. Tell Matt that she's ill, and that he should come back to Dodge as soon as he can. It'll give me a chance to calm her down and take care of those wounds."  
  
The deputy nodded, and looked at Kitty once more, "Be gentle with her, Doc."  
  
"I will. Now go on."  
  
Festus left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Doc turned back to his patient, who was still pressed up against the wall. He walked toward her, and once again knelt a foot or so away. She whimpered, turning her face from him. He had never seen this kind of fear in her, and it made him sick. Doc closed his eyes momentarily, as the anger toward the man who did this built up in him. But he needed to set his feelings aside. There would be a time for justice, but that would be later.  
  
He opened his eyes, and pitched his timbre low and soft, "Kitty, I want you to think for a minute. Just listen to my voice, and think. You know me, and deep down in your heart, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you. I could never--" His voice broke from emotion, and he moved closer to her, reaching his hand out very slowly, "It's Doc, honey... please let me help you."  
  
He gently placed his hand on her arm, and while she shook with fright, she didn't scream. Her eyes turned toward him, tears of recognition finally welling up in them.  
  
"D-doc?"  
  
His voice remained as soft as velvet, "Yes. It's Doc."  
  
Her voice was filled with emotion as she repeated the one word that meant safety, "Doc...."  
  
She grabbed him tightly around the neck, and Adams wrapped his arms around her, exhaling a long sigh of relief. As she wept into him, he closed his eyes against his own compounding affections. He held her for a long time, then gently picked her up, carried her to the bed, laying her upon it. He sat softly on the edge, silently examining her, all too aware that she never took her eyes off of him.

It was near closing, before Sam spotted Doc coming down the stairs. His sleeves were rolled up, his tie was gone, and exhaustion darkened his eyes. He ambled over to the bar next to Festus, unaware that almost everyone in the saloon was watching him.  
  
"Doc? How is she?"  
  
"Lower your voice. Do you want everyone in here to know something happened?"  
  
"Whole town done knows it by now." When Adams looked at him incredulously, the deputy continued, "Well I just done like ya tolt me. Went over to Barney to send a telegraph off to Matthew....."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And Burke was in there at the time."  
  
"Oh, hell....." Doc swiped a hand across his mustache, "Well at least they just think she's sick."  
  
Sam and Festus exchanged a look, and Doc shook his head.  
  
"Tell me. Just tell me...."  
  
Festus set his beer down, "Burke said he was 'spectin' that feller who had the scrape with Sam last night to make good on his threat--"  
  
"--What are you talkin' about?"  
  
Sam broke in, "Last night a man became too forward with Miss Kitty, and I stepped in. We had words, and then he left. I didn't think any more about it until earlier this afternoon when Burke mentioned him. He threatened that he might come back, Doc."  
  
"Did Miss Kitty tell you anything about it, Doc?"  
  
"No, not yet. And she's resting right now, and I don't want _anybody_ disturbing her."  
  
"All right, all right, ya ol' billy goat......I wasn't plannin' on doin' no disturbin'.....I jes' wanna know if'n she's gonna be all right."  
  
"Eventually, yes."  
  
Sam's voice was soft, "You look like you could use a drink."  
  
The old doctor nodded, "Whiskey, Sam, thanks."  
  
The bartender poured a generous shot of the best whiskey behind the bar and set it in front of Adams. But before Doc could take a sip, Burke sidled over to him, setting his beer on the bar. Doc glared at the man.  
  
"Go away, Burke."  
  
"Now Doc, we're all just concerned about Miss Kitty."  
  
"Kitty's going to be fine, so you can just stop your talkin'."  
  
"It was that man who was in here last night, wasn't it?"  
  
Doc raised his voice, "Burke, it ain't your concern. Now drop it."  
  
"Marshal's gonna be hopping mad when he gets back and finds out that--"  
  
Doc grabbed Burke by the shirt, shoving him none too gently into the bar, "You keep your gossip to yourself, and don't go riling up Matt with it. You hear me, Burke?"  
  
"Yeah, Doc, sure. Calm down. Nothing to get upset about. I was just thinking I'm glad I'm not in that man's shoes....."  
  
"Your concern Burke, should be for yourself if I see you in here when Matt gets back from Hayes, for as sure as I'm standin' here, I'll wire your mouth shut. Permanently."  
  
Burke left quickly, and several others, realizing Doc was in possibly the most foul mood ever, left with him. Festus turned to Doc, preparing to make a comment on his behavior, but the old man beat him to it, using his index finger to punctuate his words.  
  
"Don't you say a thing. Not one blasted thing to me." He turned to the barkeep, "Sam, thanks for the drink. I'm goin' back upstairs and sit with Kitty."  
  
"If you need to be spelled, Doc, let one of us know."  
  
"Sure will."  
  
Festus and Sam watched Adams slowly walk up the stairway and back into Kitty's room.  
  
"I ain't never seen him git like that afore."  
  
"You know how he feels about Miss Kitty."  
  
"Hope he don't worry hisself sick on top of all of it....we're gonna have our hands full as it is when Matthew gits back."  
  
Sam poured himself a whiskey, and Festus stared at him.  
  
"_I_ need a drink now."  
  
The barkeep tossed it back in one swallow, and walked to the other side of the bar. Festus wondered what it was that had suddenly ruffled Sam so.....

Matt tried to stay calm as he read the telegraph once again. All it said was that Kitty had taken ill, and that he should return to Dodge as soon as possible.   
  
The man spoke to him again, "Marshal, is there something wrong?"  
  
"Uh, no... well, yes....I-- I have to get back to Dodge right away."  
  
"What about the prisoner?"  
  
"I'm sorry Sheriff, but you'll have to get somebody else to do the escortin'. This can't wait."  
  
Dillon didn't pause for further comment. He stuffed the message from Festus into his shirt, and quickly walked out the door. He went to the livery, paid the stableman, saddled Buck, and took off at a deadrun. He wondered if Buck would last at this pace all the way back to Dodge.....

Anyone else would have put as many miles between himself and Dodge as possible; but not the man in the dark hat. It was in his power to take down Marshal Dillon, and he couldn't resist ruminating on that fact. Matt Dillon was nothing short of a menace to those in this territory who were not afraid to take what they wanted, but _he_ could put an end to all that. He couldn't have planned it better. Dillon would be completely off-balance, and acting out of raw emotion: nothing could cause a man to make more mistakes than the anger over a wronged love.   
  
He looked up to the solitary low light on the second floor of the Long Branch. From what he had heard, the scrappy old doctor was a close friend of Dillon's as well. It wouldn't hurt to add a little extra fuel to his already overwhelming fire. He lit a cigar. He would wait until later, when all in Dodge was quiet, and the town was lulled into a false sense of peace.

The whimpers of her nightmare roused him. Doc moved from the chair to the edge of the bed. He caressed the side of her face softly.  
  
"Kitty......it's a dream, honey. Wake up. Come on....."  
  
She screamed as she jolted upright. He pulled her into his arms.  
  
"You're with me, and you're safe."  
  
She was panting to catch her breath, and she held onto Adams for dear life.  
  
"Oh Doc.......I couldn't get away from him. He chased me and chased me, and I couldn't get away...."  
  
Kitty cried into his shoulder, hard. He wanted to take the pain away, but this was a kind of pain that his doctoring couldn't help. All he could do was be there for her.   
  
Doc rubbed his hand along her back soothingly, "It's all right, honey. Nothing can happen to you while I'm here, you're safe."  
  
The door burst open, and the man in the dark hat smiled, "That's where you're wrong, Doc. She'll never be safe again."  
  
Kitty screamed and recoiled away from the man. Adams didn't need to ask who he was. He stood, anger shadowing his face.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing here?"  
  
The man's eyebrow rose in appreciation, "I heard you was plucky, but I'd say that didn't do you justice."  
  
"You didn't answer my question."  
  
"Your concern should be about what I can do with this here," he patted his gun for effect, smiling.  
  
"I'm unarmed."  
  
"You know, bartender said the same thing last night, but he offered to remedy the situation. You got the same kind of nerve, do ya?"  
  
"Give me a gun and you'll find out."  
  
"Doc, no..... please, no," Kitty's voice was filled with such intesne fear, it resounded in Doc's chest. "Just send him away, Doc....._please_...."  
  
"It's all right, honey. He isn't about to give me a weapon."  
  
"What do you mean by that, old man?"  
  
"You don't have the stomach to face a man who's armed. Your kind can only feel like a man when he's beating up women, otherwise you just cave-in and become as submissive as a child. Isn't that how it is?"  
  
"You don't know nothin'...."  
  
"Look at her. That's the work of a coward......you yellow-bellied, spineless piece of garbage; you aren't fit to breathe the same air--"  
  
"--Shut-up. She got what was comin', and so will you..."  
  
Kitty screamed as the man in the dark hat began to pistol-whip Doc. Adams fought back at first, but then found himself quickly overpowered. The man continued to beat on the doctor well past the point of unconsciousness, and Kitty knew if it carried on, Doc wouldn't make it.  
  
"Please stop," she cried, "please, don't hit him anymore......._please_...."  
  
"What are you prepared to do to get me to stop?"  
  
She cried so hard she could barely get out the words, "Anything you want. Just don't kill him."  
  
He began to unbuckle his belt, and she felt sick to her stomach. Then she heard Festus at the front doors of the Long Branch.  
  
"Miss Kitty! Doc! What's goin' on in there?"  
  
The man in the dark hat smiled at her, "Until next time.....and there _will_ be a next time."  
  
He went out the window and deftly climbed down the post, disappearing silently into the darkness of Front Street. A moment later, Festus was in the room, along with Sam. Haggen knelt on the floor, pulling Doc's limp body into his arms.  
  
"Oh Doc....." Festus fought the tears threatening to spill down his face, and he turned to Sam, "Get Newly. Hurry!" He stroked the side of Doc's bloody face gently, "Hang on Doc, just hang on."  
  
He heard a movement in the back of the room, and quickly drew his gun. She gasped and pressed herself against the wall. Festus swallowed hard, and put the weapon back in its holster.  
  
"Miss Kitty..... Are ya hurt?"  
  
She said nothing, but stared at Festus with an aberrant fear in her eyes.  
  
"Please Miss Kitty, I ain't gonna hurt ya none. Please come here and help Doc. I don't know whut ta do...." He turned his attention back to the man in his arms, "It looks so bad...."  
  
Kitty closed her eyes. She knew that Festus Haggen would offer up his life to save hers. In her heart, she _knew_ that. And yet the illogical dread of any man other than Doc Adams coming within five feet of her, filled her with a fear so cold, she could taste it. In the end, her love of Doc won out, and Kitty moved to help him. She looked up at Haggen, her voice shaking with fright.  
  
"Get him on the bed, then get some water, and tear a sheet into strips."  
  
Festus did as he was told, and Kitty cleaned Doc's face with a cloth soaked in cold water. The cool water began to stir him. He groaned and then slowly opened his eyes.  
  
"Kitty? Thank God you're all right..."  
  
"Never mind about me. You're hurt so bad, I'm just thankful you recognize me."  
  
Festus sat on the other side of the bed, "Doc.....don't you move around none. You've been beat up somethin' fierce... it just looks awful..."  
  
"It don't feel too good neither...."  
  
Tears began streaming down Kitty's face, the fear of losing Doc suddenly overwhelming her.   
  
"It's all right, honey. I'm gonna be okay. Don't you cry......"  
  
Doc pulled her into his chest, and held her tightly.   
  
He looked up at Festus, a grimace forming on his face, "You're going to have to take over for me here, I'm hurtin' pretty bad."  
  
"Don't know that she'll let me, but I'll do my best, Doc."  
  
Adams nodded, and a moment later, Newly and Sam walked in, the former going immediately to Doc's side. Festus gently took Kitty from Adams, moving her to the side of the room, sitting her down in a chair. She allowed him to stand near, remembering that like Doc, Festus represented safety. Newly tended Doc's wounds, and then gently he and Sam carried Doc into the adjacent room. Newly stayed with Adams, and at Kitty's request, Festus stood outside her room. Sam sat in a chair near the front door, a large shotgun in his lap; whatever else might befall them, no further harm would come to Doc or Kitty at the hand of the man in the dark hat, of this Sam was certain.

By the time Matt galloped into Dodge, Buck was almost spent. He put the horse in the livery, hastily removed his saddle, and gave the gelding some oats. For now, that would have to do. As the sun began to peak over the edge of town, Dillon walked quickly toward the Long Branch. But Burke intercepted him.  
  
"Marshal, sure am glad you're back...."  
  
Dillon didn't slow down, "I'm in a hurry, Burke...."  
  
"I'm sure you're anxious about Miss Kitty, but Doc said she'd be fine."  
  
Matt stopped and looked at Burke, "What do you mean Doc said she'd be fine. I got a telegraph from Festus that sounded like life or death."  
  
"Well, I'm sure he didn't want to tell you the whole story over a telegraph wire--"  
  
Dillon closed in on Burke, towering over him, "You'd better tell me what you know, and be quick about it. After just about killin' my horse to get here, I'm in no mood....."  
  
"Two nights ago, there was a cowboy in the Long Branch who was botherin' Miss Kitty--"  
  
"--Two nights ago? I was there Burke, no cowboy was bothering her."  
  
"After you left for rounds, Marshal, there was. Anyway, Sam stepped in, and they had words. Before the fella left, he threatened to come back. And he did exactly that--"  
  
Matt raised his voice, getting into Nathan's face, "Burke!"  
  
"After she closed the other night, he broke into the Long Branch and beat her up pretty bad. And I don't think that's all he done--"  
  
Dillon grabbed Burke by the shirt, and lifted him off the ground, "--If you don't shut your mouth Burke, I'll do the shuttin' for ya."  
  
"Sure, Marshal, sure...."  
  
Matt let go and didn't look back. He knocked on the doors of the Long Branch, and was slightly shocked to be greeted by Sam cradling a shotgun.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
"We had a break-in last night, Marshal."  
  
"Last night? Burke just told me it was two nights ago."  
  
"Both."  
  
Alarm lit Dillon's face, "Where's Kitty?"  
  
"She's asleep upstairs, Marshal. It was Doc who took the brunt of it last night."  
  
"Doc?"  
  
"Yeah. Newly's with him. Man in a dark hat pistol-whipped him to within an inch of his life. And Marshal, he done worse to Miss Kitty the night before. She's so terrified, she can't sleep without having either Doc or Festus within earshot."  
  
Matt took the stairs two at a time, and when he got to the top, a sleepy-eyed deputy was pointing a gun in his direction.  
  
"Matthew....." Festus holstered the gun, "you ortn't be runnin' up them stairs like that."  
  
"Doc okay?"  
  
"I think so. Poor ol' scudder, took quite a beatin' though."  
  
Dillon reached for the doorknob to Kitty's room, and was surprised as Haggen's came down on top of it.  
  
"Matthew, there's something you gotta know before you go in there....." Dillon swallowed hard, but nodded at the deputy, "She was beat-up pretty bad, and well, that wasn't all that was done."  
  
"Sam told me."  
  
"Matthew, she's sorta afraid of everybody but Doc....."  
  
"She won't be afraid of me."  
  
"I just wanted you to know."  
  
"I appreciate that."  
  
Matt turned the knob and disappeared behind the closed door. He sat down in the chair by the bed, and had to push down the anger that rose in his throat as he gazed at the bruises all over Kitty's beautiful face. But she was alive, and Doc said she was going to be all right; Matt Dillon needed to hold onto that. He reached over and tenderly took her hand in his, holding it. She stirred, and slowly her eyes opened.  
  
She screamed. It startled Matt so much that he let go of her hand, and abruptly stood from his chair.  
  
"Kitty...it's me, it's Matt."  
  
The hurt in his eyes struck her as surely as a blow, but she couldn't overpower the fear that was welling up within her. Some part of her knew that she could trust Matt more than anyone else; but still, an overriding terror filled her heart. And she hated herself for it.  
  
"Matt......I'm....I'm sorry."  
  
Kitty began to cry. It was a sound so mournful that Matt couldn't bear to listen to it. He bent down to take her in his arms, and she cried harder, pushing him away. He backed away from the bed, moving toward the door.  
  
"It's all right, Kitty. Look, look.....I'll stand back here, okay?  
  
Inconsolable, she cried harder, "Festus! Festus....."  
  
A moment later, the deputy opened the door, the apology in his eyes, plain.  
  
"I'm sorry, Matthew...."  
  
Dillon couldn't keep the sting of tears from his eyes. The man in the dark hat had taken something priceless from him; he had ripped the trust right out of her, to the point that she could trust no one. The man in the dark hat had violated her, and in so doing, taken her down a path of terror that no one should have to face. Kitty was terrified of intimacy. Dillon looked on as another man comforted her because she couldn't bear to have Matt touch her. Festus was safe to her, and Dillon was not. He felt as if a bullet had struck him in the chest. This was no longer a matter for law, but rather one for primitve justice.   
  
And Matt Dillon no longer cared. He removed the badge from his chest, placed it softly on the dresser by the door, and quietly slipped out of Kitty's room. He ducked into the room next to hers, to find Newly asleep in a chair, and Doc Adams wide awake and staring right at him.  
  
"You're going after him."  
  
It was a statement, not a question, and Dillon didn't feel the need to respond.  
  
"Damned fool thing to do you know...."  
  
"Doesn't seem like it to me."  
  
"You've seen her?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It's hard for her now, Matt, but it's too fresh. She needs time to get over it. She'll bounce back from this, she will."  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
"I know, Kitty, so yes, I do know that."  
  
"She knows I'd never harm her....and yet...."  
  
"And yet she's afraid of you. It's not uncommon after an attack of this nature. It was violent, Matt, and brutal, but in time, and with the support of those who love her, she can overcome it. But she needs a lot of love and patience."  
  
It was a well-placed barb, and it struck Matt hard.  
  
"That's over the line, Doc."  
  
"It's the truth."  
  
"I've heard enough."  
  
Matt started out, but Doc's voice stopped him.  
  
"Where's your badge?"  
  
"I don't need it anymore."  
  
"Matt! Go after him within the law. Don't throw away a lifetime of being a lawman. Not for a piece of garbage like the kind who's done this."  
  
Dillon moved to the bed, and reached out to touch a large knot on Doc's head; the old man winced.  
  
"Look what he's done to you. And to Kitty. I'm going after him as Matt Dillon, not as a U.S. Marshal. I'm going to hurt him because he hurt the two people who mean the most to me in the world. Take care of yourself, Doc, and take care of Kitty."  
  
"Matt! Matt, you come back here...."  
  
But Dillon was gone. At least the Matt Dillon they once knew.

Dillon wrangled as much information out of both Sam and Burke about the man in the dark hat, as they could provide. He had tracked many such men over the years, and his educated guess was that this kind of man wanted to see the outcome of what he had started. The man had to be nearby, and Matt knew he simply needed to wait, and the man to come to him; however, Dillon did not want the confrontation to take place in Dodge. So Matt went about the business of packing for the trail in a very loud manner; by the time he rode out of town, he knew there wasn't a soul in Dodge who didn't know about it.

Festus had argued with Sam, Newly, and Doc, but in the end, his back-end-of-a-mule logic as Doc termed it, had won out. Doc was too weak to be out of bed, and both he and Miss Kitty needed Newly's medical skills. Sam needed to stick around in case the man in the dark hat was simply waiting for the marshal to clear out of town to make another move against Kitty and Doc. So Festus would go, and he'd go alone. He climbed into his saddle and spurred Ruth on a path following that of Matt Dillon. Festus would either be pulled into a personal vendetta against the man in the dark hat, or he would have to honor his own badge, and stop Matthew from perpetrating such blood vengeance. And Festus Haggen, who reveled in a good argument with Dr. Galen Adams, didn't say so much as one word when Doc suggested that he was too close to Matt to carry out his duty without getting himself killed. As a betting man, there was no way that Festus would take any kind of odds on that one; and as the man in question, the reality of the words made his mouth go dry.

The man in the dark hat made sure to get word to that blabbermouth at the freight office that he was headed for Independence. He waited alont the Santa Fe Trail until the Marshal passed him, and then carefully followed. There would be a moment for him to strike; especially since Dillon was looking in front of himself, and not behind.

By the time Matt hit the edge of Edwards County, he was tired, and decided to call it a night. He made a fire, unpacked some food, his bedroll, and settled his horse. As a lawman, Dillon had always relied on his instincts; the little hairs on the back of his neck that stood on end when danger was nearby. But as he drank his coffee by the fire, he was unaware that the man in the dark hat was watching him, waiting for the right moment.

Newly pressed a cool cloth across Doc's forehead, "You need to sleep, Doc."  
  
"Can't."  
  
"Stop thinking about it. Nothin' you can do about it anyway...."  
  
"I know that for corn's sake. I know that."  
  
"Why don't I give you something to help you sleep?"  
  
"Because I'm the doctor, and I know what I need, and sleep ain't it."  
  
Newly tried to stop the old man as he pushed himself up, but realizing he'd hurt him more by restraining him, he let go.  
  
"Doc, get back into bed. Doc....._please_ get back into bed."  
  
Adams put his shoes on, and slowly moved out into the hallway. Kitty, awakened by the conversation, opened the door to her room.  
  
"Where do you think you're goin' in the middle of the night?"  
  
"One or both of them is going to wind up dead, Kitty, and I just have to do something about it."  
  
"Doc, you can't get on a horse, you'll kill yourself."  
  
"I'll take my buggy then."  
  
"Doc....."  
  
"No. Matt's not thinkin' clearly--"  
  
"--And you are?"   
  
"He's out for blood like I've never seen him, Kitty. And Festus, well, that old mule doesn't know it yet, but he'll do exactly what Matt would have done while wearing that badge; he'll try and stop him."  
  
"So either Festus is going to have shoot Matt to stop him from killing that man, or Matt's going to kill both the man, and Festus."  
  
"Either way, one of them ain't comin' home."  
  
"Let's go then."  
  
"Where do you think _you're_ goin'?"  
  
"With you."  
  
"You most certainly are not."  
  
"If you're well enough, then so am I."  
  
The cocking of the shotgun grabbed their attention.  
  
"Neither of you is going anywhere." Sam's voice was deep with authority, "Now both of you, get back into bed."  
  
"You wouldn't dare...."  
  
"I surely will, Doc. I'll put a hole in your foot, and Miss Kitty's too. It'd be better than watching the two of you kill yourselves with some cockamamie ride out on the trail in the middle of the night. Doc, look at you....you're shakin' just trying to stand there, and Miss Kitty, you're as pale as any sheet I've ever seen. Neither of you should be out of bed, and while I might be here to keep certain elements out, I guarantee you I'm just as good at keeping others in."  
  
Kitty's voice was resigned, "When the man's right, he's right....."  
  
Doc didn't argue when he felt Newly gently guide him back to bed. Kitty followed them into Doc's room, and the three of them sat in worried silence together, until Sam came upstairs with a whiskey bottle and four glasses.

Dillon had fallen into an uneasy sleep, filled with unsettling images, and dreams. The twig snapping toward the edge of his camp was not enough to arouse his subconscious from trying to puzzle out Kitty's rejection of him, and Doc's harsh but honest words. Matt didn't awaken until he heard the click of a gun hammer pulling back. Dillon's eyes snapped open, and looked up into the smiling face of a man in a dark hat.   
  
"Nice to meetcha, Marshal Dillon."  
  
"Just Dillon."  
  
The man in the dark hat pushed aside Dillon's vest with his gun barrel, and saw that there was no badge pinned to his chest.  
  
"I see. Gave up marshalin' on my account didja?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"Well then, too bad you lost your edge so quick. I heard that you had an uncanny sense about you....guess it went with the badge, huh?"  
  
"Maybe...."  
  
Matt rolled under the man, and pulled his legs out from under him. They tousled on the ground for control of the gun, and Matt finally wrestled it away from the man in the dark hat. Dillon stood, pointing the gun at him.  
  
"Stand up." The man didn't move, Matt pulled the hammer back, "I said, stand up."  
  
The man complied.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"What does it matter? Nobody knows it nohow. I ain't used it in years."  
  
"You'd better start talkin' mister...."  
  
"Ain't nothin' to say, Dillon, except that that little redhead of yours is feisty in her nightgown."  
  
Matt took a step closer, grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt, holding the pistol at his throat.  
  
"Keep that up, and I'll kill you now."  
  
"Go ahead. What's the difference if it's now or five minutes from now? I'll be just as dead, and you'll be just as much an outlaw as I ever was."  
  
"Matthew.....put the gun down."  
  
Dillon didn't need to turn to know that his deputy was behind him, covering him with a gun.  
  
"Get out of here, Festus, this doesn't concern you."  
  
"I'm afraid it does, Matthew. This here badge says it does."  
  
"And you wouldn't have that badge if I hadn't given it to you."  
  
Festus looked down for a moment, swallowing hard, "I knowed that, Matthew. And that's why I have to do what I'm a-doin' now, don'tcha see?"  
  
"No, I don't see. I swear to God, Festus. By the time you can shoot me down, I'll take this man with me."  
  
"You're in quite a pickle there, deputy," the man in the dark hat commented, "You either fail in your duty as a lawman and stand trial yourself for it, or you fail as a friend when you kill the Marshal here."  
  
"Matthew, please put the gun down. It was you who done showed me how to be a lawman, and you wouldn't be doin' no less. Let's take him in. We got plenty of charges to set on him. No court'd let him go free after whut he done. He'll pay for it, Matthew, we just have to take him in."  
  
"No! It's not enough. Don't you understand? It's not enough!"  
  
The man in the dark hat muttered under his breath, "Go ahead, jail me, and when I get out, I'll go and see her."  
  
Matt backhanded the man, "Shut-up!"  
  
"Matthew! Stop it .... let's do this thing right."  
  
"You're going to have to kill me, Festus. So either pull the trigger or leave, but make up your mind to one choice or the other."  
  
Festus cocked the gun, and fired. The aim was wide, but it was enough to distract Dillon from the man in the dark hat, who pulled the gun away, and pointed it at Matt.  
  
Festus screamed, "Matthew!"  
  
Dillon ducked, and both Haggen and the man in the dark hat fired. The man in the dark hat fell, his chest cavity filling with blood. Matt kicked the gun away, and checked, but the man was dead. He turned back toward Festus, who looked down at his own chest in surprise, put his hand over it, and crumpled to the ground.  
  
"Festus!"  
  
Matt went to the deputy, and pulled Haggen's hand away from his shirt. The bullet hit him to the side of his heart, and it was bleeding badly. Matt pulled Haggen's bandana from his neck, and pressed it hard over the wound, causing Festus to cry out in pain.  
  
"I'm sorry, Festus."  
  
"Don't make no never-mind....." The deputy smiled slightly at Dillon, "What did you think of my choice, Matthew? I done managed to serve the law, and kept you in one piece at the same time. You be sure to tell ol' Doc what I done.....he said I wouldn't do it right..."  
  
"Oh Festus......"  
  
Swallowing down the bile that had risen in his throat, Dillon picked up the deputy, and as carefully as possible, put him up on his mule. Matt climbed up behind him, grabbed the reins to his own horse, and sped as fast as Ruth could go back toward Dodge.

Dillon stopped the mule outside of the Long Branch just as day was breaking.  
  
"Doc! Newly! Sam!"  
  
He carried Festus into the saloon, and after a moment, Sam appeared in the doorway of Doc's room upstairs.  
  
"Marshal?"  
  
"Festus has been shot, Sam, I need Newly down here right away."  
  
Matt gently lay Festus on a table. Sam looked back into the room, then out at the Marshal in confusion.  
  
"Sam, I mean now!"  
  
"Marshal, Newly's drunk, and I ain't that much better."  
  
Kitty appeared at the door, and saw Festus on the table below, his chest bloody and heaving.  
  
"Doc! Doc, it's Festus...."  
  
Kitty disappeared into the room, and together with Sam, helped Doc down the stairs, Kitty holding his medical bag in her free hand. Doc put his glasses on and examined Festus, then he glared at Dillon.  
  
"You almost killed him. You still might. I hope you're happy with yourself...."  
  
Dillon said not a word, but stood quietly in the background, watching as Doc set to work, Kitty and Sam assisting. After several hours, Doc covered Festus with the blanket Kitty gave him, and pulled the glasses from his tired eyes. Sam gently guided him to sit in a chair, and exhausted, the old man practically fell into it. After a few minutes, Kitty brought Doc a fresh cup of coffee, setting it down in front of him.  
  
"Thank you, Kitty."  
  
She ran her fingers through his hair, gently stroking the back of his head, "You still need a lot of rest you know."  
  
He took her hand in his own, "I can't leave Festus down here alone, honey. I'll be fine, you and Sam go get some sleep, ya hear?"  
  
She kissed his forehead, glanced hard at Matt, and then with Sam right behind her, ascended the stairs. The marshal and the doctor sat in uncomfortable silence for a long time.  
  
When Matt finally spoke, his voice was soft, "Is he going to make it?"  
  
"I don't know. But if he does, it'll be in no thanks to you."  
  
Matt looked away.  
  
Doc rubbed his eyes, which did not improve his tenor, "You killed the man in the dark hat...."  
  
"He's dead, yes."  
  
Adams shook his head in disgust, "I've never been so disappointed in a human being in all my life as I am with you at this moment."  
  
"Doc, I--"  
  
"--No, Matt, you're going to sit there, and you're going to listen. You went outta here looking for blood, like some kinda rabid dog. Festus went after you because that badge, the one that I might remind you, _you_ asked him to wear, told him he had to. I knew damned well what was going to happen."  
  
"You did, did you?"  
  
"Yes. I knew Festus couldn't shoot you. Not even if it meant sacrificing his own life, and here we are.... I've felt nothing but tremendous respect for you, and held you in the highest esteem for all the years that I've known you.....but my God, Matt, I don't know what I feel now."  
  
Dillon stood, "I'm sure you don't."  
  
Matt started for the door, and Adams yelled at him, "Where are you going? Don't you give a damn if he lives or dies?"  
  
Dillon's hand squeezed the door handle as he spoke, "I'm heading over to the office--"  
  
"--You're not the marshal anymore."  
  
"Maybe not, but I need to finish up some paperwork." He turned back and glared at Adams, "And I care about Festus more than you'll ever know."  
  
Before the cantankerous old physician could muster another comment, Dillon slammed the door behind him. The weak voice from the table startled the old doctor.  
  
"You were kinda rough on Matthew, don'tcha think, Doc?"  
  
Adams stood, and placed a caring hand on the deputy's forehead.  
  
"Festus, thank God. Don't you talk now, you need rest...lots of it. And Matt deserved everything he just got from me."  
  
Haggen shook his head slightly, "But Doc, you ain't got yer facts straight."  
  
Doc gently stroked the deputy's forehead, "Shhh, don't you worry about anything right now, except yourself."  
  
"Doc, this is important, you gotta listen to me....."   
  
Festus moved too much, and a harsh pain shot through his chest, causing him to cry out in pain. Doc took his hand, holding it for a moment. Then Adams pulled a chair close to the table, sat down and leaned forward, once again resting his hand on Haggen's forehead.  
  
"I'll listen to you for a minute or so, but then I want you to close your eyes and go back to sleep."  
  
Haggen's voice was weaker, and he began to feel the pull of sleep, but he forced himself to continue.  
  
"Matthew didn't shoot me......I shot the man in the dark hat, and he shot me. Matthew didn't shoot nobody."  
  
Doc looked at him, "Well why in tarnation didn't he just tell me that?"  
  
"Reckon he was lettin' you blow off steam like he always does.....ya danged billy goat..."  
  
"Good thing somebody already shot you, or I'd have to do it....."  
  
Haggen smiled at Doc, "You couldn't hit the side of a barn with a Buffalo gun, ol' sawbones...."   
  
Doc's eyes filled up with moisture, and his voice betrayed the warmth in his heart, "Festus, you knothead, you almost got yourself killed."  
  
"Rather it was me than Matthew."  
  
"I know that, old boy. I know." Doc gently caressed the man's forehead, "That's enough now. It's time for you to sleep, and I have to eat a little crow."  
  
Haggen smiled slightly, "Rather it was you than me, Doc."  
  
Festus drifted off to the sound of Doc Adams' soft laughter; it was the sweetest sound the he'd heard in days.

The squeak of a door opening and closing awakened him, and momentarily, a large hand rested on his shoulder.  
  
"You should go to bed, Doc. I can spell you with Festus....that is if you think you can trust me."  
  
"Not funny, Matt."  
  
"He gonna be all right?"  
  
"Yes, I believe that he is." Doc looked up at Dillon, "He woke up long enough to tell me what happened. I shouldn't have spoken so harshly to you, Matt, and I'm sorry."  
  
The large hand squeezed the shoulder under it before letting go, "You had every reason to think it true, Doc. And you were right about Festus too; he aimed so wide when he fired at me, he couldn't have hit the broadside of a barn, much less a man."  
  
"Even one your size...." Doc reached into his pocket and pulled out Matt's badge. "I believe this is yours."  
  
Matt took it and pinned it to his shirt, "Nothing felt quite right without it, Doc."  
  
"I'll bet it didn't."  
  
"Things ever going to get back to normal around here?"  
  
"Yes, they will. You just need to be patient. You know how she feels about you, Matt, and in time, her wounds both physical and psychological will heal. You just have to be around for her, that's all."  
  
"I'll be here."  
  
Doc nodded, and then changed the subject.  
  
"I suppose you need a death certificate for that man in the hat, to turn in with your report...."  
  
"That would make it nice and legal, yes."  
  
"What was his name?"  
  
"His name?"  
  
"Yes, his name."  
  
"I uh, I don't know."  
  
"What do you mean, you don't know?"  
  
"I mean I don't know."  
  
"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. How can you not know that? Didn't you talk to him before Festus shot him?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You've been a U.S. Marshal for more than twenty years, ain'tcha?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And you didn't ask him his name?"  
  
"I did."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"Doc, just write 'the man in the dark hat' on that line, and let's call it a day.......I'm tired."  
  
Adams smiled, "Yeah, me too. I think we could both use some sleep."  
  
"And so could I, if'n the two of you could stop your dag-blaned jawin' fer five minutes. Who cares what the color of the man's hat was anyhow, my Aunt Jack once tolt me about a man who done had more than 200 hats, _all_ of 'um different colors....."  
  
The end


End file.
